Dr. Verghese Kurien was born in Calicut (now Kozhikode), Kerala on 26 November 1921, into a prosperous Syrian Christian family. His mother was a highly educated woman having the profession in Pianist, while his father Puthenparakkal Kurien worked as a Civil Surgeon in British Cochin. He was the Founder Chairman of National Dairy Development Board from 1965 to 1998. He is the architect of India’s White Revolution, which helped India emerge as the largest milk producer in the world, known as “Father of White Revolution,” an Indian dairy engineer and social entrepreneur who spearheaded programs that helped to significantly boost milk output. Dr. Kurien enrolled at Loyola College in Madras, where he completed his B.Sc. in Physics. In addition, he was an extremely active sportsman in tennis, boxing, badminton and cricket. On government grant, he travelled to the United States to complete his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Distinction) program.
Born – 26 November 1921
Died – 09 September 2012
Known for – Father of White Revolution in India
Religion – Hindu
Education – Loyola College of Engineering, Guindy Michigan State University
Founder/Co-Founder – National Dairy Development Board
Institute of Rural Management Anand
National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India
Employer – Amul
Dr. V. Kurien served for more than 50 years and received fifteen honorary degree and more than ten fellowships from Indian Universities and International Institutions, as he believed that learning never end. Additionally, Dr. V. Kurien received several honorary degrees, including ones from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Michigan State University. The best honor bestowed upon him by the nation was “Milkman of India”. In 1946, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy and his degree in Physics from Loyola College, which is associated with the University of Madras. After returned from the United States in 1949, he worked in the dairy sector for five years in a creamery in Anand, Gujarat governed by the Indian government. He was required to do this work in exchange for the government scholarship, even though he had no personal interest in dairy products.
If we discuss Dr. V. Kurien’s contribution, he offered to assist Tribhuvandas Patel in Bombay during the weekends, helping to modify dairy equipment and process milk that was purchased from nearby farmers. Patel convinced Kurien to stay with him and assist with his dairy cooperative even though Kurien intended to resign from the government position and leave Anand. Additionally, Dr. V. Kurien advanced the development of the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited (KDCMPUL), which subsequently evolved into Amul. From 1965 to 1998, he served as National Dairy Development Board’s founding chairman.
He was the mastermind of India’s White Revolution, which contributed to the country being the world’s biggest producer of milk. One of Kurien’s greatest achievements was the beginning of Operation Flood, a large-scale initiative to boost milk output and enhance the quality of life for dairy farmers. Operation Flood was a great success, contributing to India’s 30-year increase in milk output to four times its previous level.
He was a wonderful man who made significant contributions to the dairy industry. He is the author of several works, including too Had a Dream (2005), An Unfinished Dream (1997), The Man Who Made the Elephant Dance (2012). He has made a huge contribution to the subject of milk science. India leads the world in milk production because of his efforts. In addition, Kurien has received numerous honors for his various efforts, some of them are as follows:
Year Name of the Recipient
1963 – Ramon Magsaysay Award
1965 – Padma Shri
1966 – Padma Bhushan
1986 – Krishi Ratna
1989 – World Food Prize
1999 – Padma Vibhushan
1993 – International Person of the Year
2000 – Regional Award
2001 – Economic Times Award
Dr. V. Kurien had also received The Wateler Peace Prize from the Carnegie Foundation in 1986. Moreover, Kurien received the Godfrey Phillips Bravery Award for her social courage.
He is referred as the Father of the White Revolution in India. He implemented several revolutions in the milk industry, one of the most significant was Operation Flood. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) of India initiated the historic White Revolution on 13 January 1970, making it’s the largest dairy development initiative in the world. It turned India from a country lacking in milk into the world’s biggest producer of milk exceeding the US in 1998 with over 22.29% of the world’s output in 2018. It doubled the amount of milk accessible per person in India in less than 30 years and becoming dairy farming the country’s greatest self-sustaining source of rural employment. Under the direction of Dr. V. Kurien, India launched the largest dairy development initiative in the world as White Revolution, known colloquially as “Operation Flood,” it turned the country that was lacking in dairy products into the world’s milk producer. Through an investment of Rs. 1700 crores spread across 25 years, Operation Flood helped to raise India’s milk production in value terms to Rs. 55000 crores per annum an output ratio unmatched by any other development programm in the world. Operation Flood has emerged as India’s largest rural employment programm and unleashed the larger dimension of dairy development institutional, techno-economic, industrial and social.
• Increasing milk output
• Boosting rural incomes
• Participating farmers earn more and experience less poverty, while consumers pay fair rates in exchange for a consistent supply of milk.
Dr. Kurien’s innovative mind and leadership was harnessed not only in dairy development, but also in other spheres like edible oils, fruits and vegetables.
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